If He Listened
by Starrfall
Summary: Artemis fowl was, and always has been, a deadly aponent . Of course Artemis has always had one fatal flaw. In this story Artemis learns that taking a leaf out of Butler's book could one day save his life, and that of all his friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters**

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If He Listened

Butler was fuming, yes fuming. It wasn't a particularly pretty sight nor did it encourage others to approach him; not that others were particularly inclined to approach him on a regular basis. Domovoi Butler didn't particularly have a reputation for being soft and cuddly, on the contrary he was usually seen as big, dangerous, intimidating, and above all, scary. To see him in this kind of state would usually send most people running for the hills.

The reason for his anger, well, the answer to that was simple: his young charge Artemis Fowl. Well, not Artemis Fowl as in himself or rather the "state" of Artemis Fowl as of that current moment and just a little prior to two hours earlier.

Artemis was currently sitting just across from him on a couch located in the large, spacious living room of Fowl manor. Artemis's mother Angeline Fowl sat next to him currently busy with the large bloody gash on the back of Artemis's head. Still sluggishly oozing blood, the wound looked worse than it actually was and seemed only to require a few dabs of antiseptic.

A slight grimace could be seen creeping its way along his young charge's face, although, just barely owing to the large cold pack Artemis now held over his rapidly swelling black eye and cheek. Butler could already see the bruising spreading out in thick patches of purple, blue, and black across the pale skin of Artemis's face.

But, it didn't end there, not to Butler's fury. Artemis's other hand was currently occupied with pressing a large gauze pad over the jagged slice in the knee of his now-ruined, previously expensive, Armani suit. Blood was already beginning to soak through the gauze and onto the pale youth's hand.

Mrs. Fowl continued to attend to her son's head wound only pausing for a moment when, she felt him wince accompanying a particularly harsh dab to the still-bleeding wound.  
"I'm sorry, Arty. Are you alright?" she said looking down at him eyes filled with concern.  
Artemis regarded his mother with a baleful one-eyed gaze. "Well, I AM currently bleeding copiously from multiple wounds, but I suppose I will live if I do not abruptly acquire some deadly bacteria that causes an extreme infection and or death."

Angeline Fowl glowered reproachfully down at her son. "You shouldn't joke about those kinds of things, Arty."

The boy regarded his mother calmly. "I was not joking, mother, but rather stating the irrefutable truth."

Angeline Fowl sighed, but said no more. Arguing with Artemis Fowl was like trying to argue with a rock. The conversation was usually one sided and left her feeling foolish.  
Across the room, Butler ground his teeth furious with their current inaction. He wanted to be out there hunting down the unfortunate, cowardly being that had chosen, so unwisely, to harm his principle

"Who was it, Artemis? " Butler growled through clenched teeth attempting to keep his anger in check so as not to accidentally ruin any of the expensive items currently residing in that very room

"We already discussed this, Butler. There would be no logical point in me revealing my assailant's identity, due to the fact that he has, most assuredly, already boarded an aircraft and is currently over half an hour into his flight to America. "

Butler crossed his arms angrily turning his now simmering gaze on Angeline. "What did I tell you? I knew that carting him off to that school was a bad idea. Something like this was bound to happen when you removed him from under my protection."

Angeline turned to him with a cold scowl. "I apologize, Butler, but I was under the impression that I was his mother, and, therefore, was in charge of the decisions concerning my son. Furthermore, I believe that Artemis needs to learn for himself that YOU will not always be there to protect him."

Butler growled. "I would have, if you had just convinced them to-"

"To WHAT: follow Artemis around school, sit in the back of his classes, and knock out the other children for simply LOOKING at him wrong?" Angeline retorted.

Butler did not respond, but rather sat there in a moody silence as stiff as a stuffed frog.  
Angeline's voice softened. "I know you care about him, Butler, as do I, but you are not doing him any favors by sheltering him like this. Artemis needs to learn to look after himself because eventually, whether you like it or not, you will not be there to look after him. You may not want to admit it, but you are NOT immortal; neither are you invincible. The sooner you AND Artemis realize this, the sooner we can begin preparing him for the real world."

Oddly enough, through this entire discussion Artemis had remained uncharacteristically silent. Usually when it came to matters involving himself, Artemis always preferred to have his say. According to him he was a "Perfectly qualified genius, and so I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Thank you very much."

But Artemis hadn't really been paying attention to the grownups argument. In fact, he was currently deep in thought, something he did often, but this time, other than some elaborate plan involving revenge, his thoughts had drifted back approximately three hours to dwell on the earlier events of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any Artemis Fowl characters**

**comments are appreciated, this is my first fanfic and I need all the help I can get**

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It was the last day of school, and, as was characteristic of the last day of school, an air of excitement ran throughout the building. The students minds were already far gone from school as they enthusiastically planned for the oncoming summer. Friends outlined meeting places and dates with their friends to excited with their upcoming plans to think about anything else.

Such was the same for the thin, pale youth standing unnaturally still in front of his locker clutching his soon-to-be-discarded textbooks. All be it, his excitement was for an entirely different reason as opposed to the other teens loitering in the halls around him.

Nearly free from the brain-numbing confines of school, Artemis's head raced with complex plans and, somewhat shady, criminal operations he had planned for the summer.

Even he had become susceptible to the slight tremor of excitement running unchecked through the students.

Though, as fate would have it, Artemis wasn't about to live out his last few minutes at school peacefully.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice trouble as it came storming down the hall.

He was only aware that his thoughts were about to be intruded upon when, something violently impacted his back sending him, and all of his textbooks, sprawling to the floor.

Moments later, when he had finally pulled himself from his thoughts, he found himself sprawled on the floor amidst a mess of books and paper as raucous laughter echoed through the halls around him.

Artemis pushed himself slowly to his feet, attempting to retain his last shredded vestiges of dignity.

"Well, look who it is, Left- foot- Fowl, and apparently it's gotten so bad he can't even stand on his own anymore."

Artemis rotated slowly on the spot to face the owner of that mocking voice. "Jaxon O'Bryan, what an unpleasant surprise. Though, I believe it was your poorly constructed insult that gave you away."

You see Artemis Fowl wasn't exactly the most popular kid at school; on the contrary it was safe to say that Artemis was, in fact, one of the most hated teens at his school. Not that he couldn't be if he had wanted to, but the problem with Artemis was that he didn't keep his opinion to himself and often made others around him feel like fools (something that was bound to happen if you were a teenage genius). The other problem with Artemis was that he didn't really think about other people as having feelings. In the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter to him. All of the people he remotely cared about what they thought of him could be counted on the fingers of one hand and were most assuredly NOT attending school with him.

The other teens at school were nothing to Artemis, they weren't smart enough. Really the only reason he ever bothered to associate with them at all came down to the fact that he was doing a small study on the development of the average teen's mind; something that he found rather dull all in all, but what better way to learn something you didn't understand than to study it firsthand.

Much the same thing was happening at this point. Artemis, out of habit, completely blew off the other boy out of hand. Though what Artemis didn't know was that the boy Jaxon had taken a personal disliking to him. He was tired of feeling inferior, and that comment Artemis had made, not so long ago, about Jaxon's mother hadn't really helped the situation along.

In Jaxon's mind he needed to be punished, and who better for the job than himself.

Jaxon scowled. "Now listen here Fowl-"

"No, I believe that it is you who should be listening. I neither have the time nor the patience to deal with your blatant stupidity at this time and place, so please, would you kindly remove yourself from my sight."

Artemis turned back to his locker intending to ignore the other boy until he went away on his own.

But it was not to be, and a hand came down on his shoulder.

Artemis stiffened and then turned eyes narrowed with barely concealed anger. "What part of 'remove yourself from my sight' does your ill conceived, poorly constructed, underdeveloped cerebral cortex fail to comprehend. If you became anymore of a Neanderthal they would cart you off to a mental institute."

Jaxon stood there stunned for a moment trying to wrap his mind around Artemis's quickly articulated insult. He was pretty certain that underdeveloped, Neanderthal and mental was not words he would want involved in a sentence about himself.

Finally the boy stopped trying to comprehend the insult and took a step forward. "You listen to me Fowl-"

"If you are confused, I would suggest consulting a dictionary, and I would gladly point you in the direction of one." Artemis stated, with a slight, satisfied smirk.

Then, to Artemis's confusion, the other boy grinned toothily as if the jibe about his intelligence didn't bother him at all. "No, I don't think I will, but you know what I'm gunna do? I'm gunna pound that self satisfied little smirk of your ugly mug."

Artemis continued to smile as if he was confronting a particularly slow five- year- old. "Need I remind you what occurred on your previous attempt to do much the same thing?"

The boy's face went temporarily bloodless as the memory shoved its way to the forefront of his mind, but it soon dissipated and the white color of his face was replaced by a particularly evil looking grin.

"I don't see your bodyguard anywhere. Face it Fowl, you've got nowhere to run." The boy cracked his knuckles.

Artemis smirked. "I wouldn't be too hasty if I were you because you may do whatever you want to me now, but I am sure you will regret it in the future when Butler repays you in kind… tenfold."

Artemis was sure that his threat would easily dissuade the other boy from his current course of action, but to his astonishment the other boy just laughed.

"Sorry to ruin your fun, Fowl, but me and my mum are moving to America within the hour. There's nuthin' you or your body guard can do to me now."

Artemis's face visibly paled, but he kept his composure. "Moving to America to escape the rumors about your mother's drug addiction no doubt…no wonder-" Artemis trailed off mind running through possible scenarios. It may have seemed as if he had made this comment to be rude, but really Artemis just didn't have very good social skills. Put him in a room with a group of adults and he could get around with ease. Put him in a room with teens his own age and you were playing an entirely different game.

Artemis realized his oversight far too late.

He only had a split second to react as the other boy's face twisted into a feral snarl and he drew back his fist.

Artemis attempted to dodge to the side, but it was a feeble attempt. Artemis had never been known for his physical prowess hence the nickname 'Left foot Fowl'. It problem wouldn't surprise anyone with the fact that the other boy succeeded in tagging him hard and fast, full in the face.

Pain exploded around his eye and high across his cheekbone. His head snapped back painfully, and with another white-hot burst of agony, he felt his head collide sharply with the corner of his open locker.

The door slammed shut with an echoing bang, and he fell back against the lockers. The wind knocked out of him, he tried to regain his breath vision swimming and head throbbing with the pain of it.

There was that one panicked moment as he tried to draw a breath, but couldn't. When his lungs finally expanded and filled with air it came in a choked gasp. Admittedly Artemis was stunned. He had never been punched before… well correction he had, but he had never really counted Captain Holly Short considering that she was now his friend, but to be assaulted like this at school was entirely different. He was so used to Butler coming to his rescue that he had, over time, come to expect it.

His eyes stung, as was natural after getting punched in the face.

The small crowd that had gathered at the initial confrontation had now swelled to at least three times its original size. The prospect of a fight always brought onlookers, and it seemed that this time it would be no different.

As he knelt there on the floor, Artemis felt something rise up inside him, something that he had never felt before. It was an alien experience. Of course there was anger, for sure, but there was also something else… humiliation? Yes, there was PLENTY of that, but no. What he felt was a physical sensation as if the anger had manifested itself as more than an emotion. He began to feel lightheaded, his arms and legs began to tingle oddly, and blackness encroached on the edges of his vision until he was seeing things through a narrow tunnel framed in red. His brain did not comprehend details anymore, all he could see were silhouettes and all of them stood out blood red against the light.

He wasn't really sure what happened next. All he knew was that his body reacted seemingly without thinking, something it had never done before; he went from a crouch on his hands and knees to a mid air flight before he knew what he was doing. All he could see was the red silhouette of Jaxon standing tauntingly in his vision, but the fact was Artemis had never been a very physical person even while angry and running on adrenaline.

Jaxon, however, had played practically every sport offered at the school and excelled in any and all other physical activities. Artemis never had a chance, and with almost contemptuous ease the other boy caught Artemis by the front of his jacket and tossed him, with one arm, into the gaping crowd.

It seemed as if Artemis Fowl's luck would hence fourth remain true to form. By the time he was flung into the crowd, they had all dodged out of the way. It was actually quite unfortunate that some careless student had neglected to close their bottom- locker… a locker that now happened to be directly in Artemis's path.

His foot connected with the floor just before he reached the open locker. Of course Newton's first law of matter states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Apparently Artemis had gotten stuck at the point where his foot connected. Friction was an outside force, but evidently not strong enough, so his body did the only thing it could do… both at once.

His foot stayed planted on the floor while his top half pitched forward. Then a loud tearing sound rent the air as the knee of his expensive Armani suit caught on the corner of the locker.

And there he came to a stop sprawled on the floor shocked and bleeding not really sure how he had gotten there.

At that moment a group of flustered came barreling around the corner having evidently just heard about the escalating fight, but unfortunately they had arrived too late.

Jaxon was already on his way out the door as the bell rang out one last time "I won't be seeing you Fowl." He called over his shoulder before darting out the door and being obscured by a mass of bodies having just accomplished his final revenge on the only person that had ever made him feel inferior.

Needless to say, Artemis was glad to come out of the memory face having flushed red even at the memory of his public humiliation, but luckily no one noticed. Angeline and Butler were still in the midst of a heated discussion and seemed not to have picked up on his momentary, mental absence.

"He needs to learn to fight his own battles." Angeline pressed.

"What he needs is better protection, and for me to stay near him." Butler retorted

There was a momentary lapse of silence as the two grownups regarded each other coldly, by that point Artemis had already made up his mind and took this opportunity to speak up "Mother is right, Butler."

The silence continued all be it with one big difference. Shock had now replaced tension at the two adults turned to face him expressions of confusion plastered across their faces. They had obviously both assumed that Artemis would side with Butler. That was how things often transpired in the Fowl household much to Angeline's annoyance, but for once she had won. How she had was still a mystery to her.

The fact, however, was simple. Artemis had done what he did best: he had used logic. And now that he had taken a deeper look at himself and at his operations he knew that if he was going to continue on like this he had only one choice. It was a sacrifice he knew he would regret, but for the greater good of the Fowl family, it had to be.

He looked up at Butler and his mother face set into a stoic, determined mask. "Butler, teach me how to fight."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I repeat I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters **

**I would just like to say thanks for reading and hope that this eventually catches someone's interest. **

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Juliet Butler stood outside the gates of Fowl manor grinning slightly to herself. She had arrived in country just a few hours ago intending to surprise her brother with a sudden appearance. He thought that she was still out parading as the Jade Princess, but fact was she had gotten a little board of that life. Being a professional wrestler could get tedious for someone with her kind of adventurous spark, and she kind of missed her brother's stiff smile as well as all the excitement she had gotten into with Artemis and the fairies. To see the look on her brother's face, however, would be priceless.

Of course Angeline Fowl knew she was coming. Juliet had called just to make sure. Getting a ride from the air-port had been a surprisingly easy affair. But then again she was a tall blond haired, strikingly beautiful girl… things like that opened doors sometimes, and if they didn't, well… let's just say she had a few tricks up her sleeve, or to be more accurate at the end of her braid. The little jade ring had a nasty bite when she wanted it to.

Juliet waved her hand up at the gate as two motion sensor cameras swiveled to face her. She knew they would recognize her on instant. DNA cameras will do that. Of course, they were one of a kind… above ground at least. Thanks to Artemis's shady little habit of hacking the centaur Foaly's mainframe and copying his tech blueprints. The after affects were in short the fact that the Fowl manor had the best security in the HUMAN world.

There was a slight buzz from the gate as it creaked open.

Hauling her suitcase dutifully, Juliet made her way up the Fowl manor's long drive appraising the condition of the grounds. It was still as large and as pristine as ever, no doubt due to some other invention Artemis had stolen from Foaly, or, not to discredit him, something he himself had invented.

She was only halfway up the drive when a movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and turned. She may not have had that blue diamond tattoo but she had learned more than she liked to put off.

She took a step forward indenting to investigate, but before she could take another step the movement came again and she was surprised to see Artemis make his way around the side of a low stone wall. Even from a distance she could tell that something was wrong though she couldn't pinpoint what.

She walked forward. "Hey, Artemis."

The boy did not look up at her. In fact, he seemed not to have noticed her at all. She took another few steps forward. "Artemis, are you ok?"

Still he did not look up.

"ARTEMIS."

She had never seen Artemis react so fast. He spun to face her hands up protectively in front of his face, but once he noticed who she was, he dropped his hands almost as if in relief. "Sorry, Juliet, I didn't notice you."

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him. Artemis noticed everything, and a person walking right out in front of him was something even NORMAL people wouldn't miss.

A closer inspection gave rise to her suspicions told her of just how awful the teen looked. His was paler than usual with deep bags under his bloodshot eyes. His hands, still down at his sides, were trembling slightly. A light sheen of sweat covered his face which was, perhaps, the most ominous sign. Her first thought was that he was sick. She wouldn't have had trouble believing it. He looked as if he was going to keel over and die. And if that wasn't enough to make her worry than the fact that Artemis was wearing a T- shirt might have given her a heart attack.

"Artemis, are you alright. You look awful… are you sick." Juliet said coming closer positive that he was going to fall any moment.

Artemis let out a weak chuckle that trailed off pitifully. He turned sitting down on one of the low stone walls putting his head in his hands. "Tell Butler I give up, I can't do it anymore. It's been nearly a month and there is NO improvement."

"What, give up on what?" Juliet pressed, but the boy just shook his head.

"Please tell him Juliet. I don't want to move."

Juliet stood there stunned for a moment. She had never seen Artemis so defeated, and from what she could tell, he had never been one to give up on anything. And what did Butler have to do with this. It wasn't like Butler to just let Artemis continue on in this state. Had he completely lost his mind?

Juliet stood there for a moment torn between helping Artemis and leaving him there so she could go tell off her brother. Finally the latter won out and she turned. "Stay right there, Artemis. I'll be back in a minute."

Artemis made no reply, but he didn't seem too inclined to move any time soon so Juliet decided it was ok to leave him there.

Suitcase already forgotten, Juliet stormed up to the Fowl manor's house and through the open door. She knew where her brother would be.

Domovoi Butler was in the dojo, as was per usual, keeping up with his training. Sadly enough he didn't have anyone to practice with so he was forced to content himself with either shadow-boxing or the ever tedious, punching bag.

His imagination was a little more vivid than a punching bag so he elected to take that rout. The best thing about fighting with no one was the fact that you could pick how good 'no one' was, and being the third deadliest person in the world Butler found training this way to be highly beneficial.

Butler was now in the moment. He was in fight mode; there was nothing that could distract him from his work… well, almost nothing.

Just then the door to the right of him slammed open, and he was so startled that he couldn't get completely out of fight mode. He spun on his heel bringing his other foot high as if to kick the intruder. The person dodged it with almost contemptuous ease. That fact stopped Butler dead in his tracks, and it took him a moment to figure out who the person was.

"Juliet!" He exclaimed enthusiastically pulling her into an embrace.

The girl said nothing, and as Butler drew back he noted the spiteful glower she had plastered across her face. "Is everything all right?"

Juliet continued to glair daggers at him, and he cocked his head to the side confused. She had only been here two seconds and it seemed that he had already made her angry… that was a new record.

"What is wrong with you! Have you gone completely MENTAL!" she shouted face livid.

He took a step back more shocked than anything else. "What are you talking-"

"What am I talking about! Boy, are you STUPID. I'm talking about ARTEMIS." She roared

Butler shook his head still confused "I don't know what you're talking about Juliet, I-"

"Have you SEEN him lately? He looks AWFUL. What the h*** have you been doing?"

Butler held up a hand finally realizing what her ranting was all about. The motion cut her off, but she continued to glare daggers at him. "Artemis did this to himself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She shot back angrily

"It means that he ordered me to do it himself. I trust Artemis and if that's what he wanted than that is what I'm doing." Butler said quietly

"And what exactly did he order you to do… Kill him?"

"No, he asked me to teach him, self defense." Butler replied calmly.

"That didn't look like self defense to me."

Butler shook his head. "You know as well as I do that self defense is more than just learning how to duck. It involves being in physical condition to perform to movements with accuracy and confidence. No matter how much self defense I teach him he will NEVER be able to defend himself if he can't even hold his own. I hate to say this, but Artemis is probably the most out of shape any person that I had ever met."

Juliet could see the logic to Butler's point, but that didn't make her any less mad at him. "If you know he's so out of shape they why are you working him so hard?" she protested

Butler shook his head "We are progressing… slowly… but still progressing. I don't think he realizes it yet, but one month of hard training has done wonders for him."

Juliet was slowly beginning to simmer down at this point "He told me to tell you that he gives up. He can't do it anymore."

Butler shook his head a slight smile on his face. "I can't let him do that."

Juliet's eyes narrowed. "And why not?"

Butler's slight smile broadened into a grin. "Because he told me when we started that he would say that."

Juliet couldn't help keep a smile off her face to. "He's gone onto outsmarting himself… should we be worried?"

Domovoi Butler shook his head. "No, Artemis always knows what he's doing, but even so I think I should go speak to him, and you should go take a nap. You must have had a long flight."

She yawned. "Now that I think about it, I am kind of tired."

Artemis still hadn't moved from his position on the wall when Butler's heavy approaching footsteps alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. He had regained a little of his energy at that point and was able to lift his head to see who was coming. Once he saw Butler he straightened up a bit.

Butler took his time speaking as he sat down on the wall next to Artemis. The older man looked as if he was far away thinking about other things. Artemis wasn't worried though, Butler would talk when he felt good and ready. And when he did, the words would not be wasted. Butler wasn't a man of many words, but when things counted he never misused them.

Then finally after a few moments of silence Butler spoke quietly. "Juliet tells me that you're giving up."

Artemis nodded, but said nothing more.

"You realize that I can't let you do that." He said quietly

"Why not?" Artemis replied, equally as quiet

"Because when we started out, you told me that there was a point during training at which you were going to try and quit. You told me to tell you no."

Artemis shook his head. "I was mistaken Butler, I'm not cut out for this. It's been a month, and I haven't made any progress. Look at this logically. There is no point continuing on a hopeless cause."

Butler didn't look at him, but began rolling a rather large rock between his fingers as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "You told me you'd try to reason your way out with logic, but THAT is where you are wrong. You HAVE made progress. You just can't see it, and you are FAR from a hopeless cause. I've seen hopeless causes, and believe me when I say you are not. I, however, know what to look for…" there was a momentary pause as Butler lined out his next words carefully in his head. "Becoming fit takes time, Artemis. It isn't going to come so naturally to you. A brain makes connections far faster than any computers, a body however takes time to build itself, and after so many years of inactivity it's going to take a while for you to get started, but once you do you'll improve at the rate you were expecting." He stopped himself there noting how the boy was shaking his head. It seemed as if his words hadn't broken through the fog in the young man's mind.

Butler looked down at the rock in his hands then a small smile spread across his face. He turned to Artemis and said, "Think fast." He lobbed the rock towards Artemis.

The boy turned in shock. His hands reacted before any other part of his body, and there was a loud smack as the rock made impact with his palm. Artemis sat there stunned for a moment holding the rock in one hand. "And what possessed you to pitch a rock at me?" He griped the old Artemis creeping back into his voice.

"Think about it Artemis, that's what your good at. Would you have been able to catch that just a month ago?"

Artemis looked down at the rock still sitting in his palm, and then as if a light had gone on in his head a small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "No, I suppose I wouldn't even have been able to dodge it."

Butler nodded. "There, see. It's a gradual process, but one day you're going to wake up and realize how far you've come. Now come on, Juliet is back and I want to hear how things have been going."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters **

**Thank you all for the comments as well as if you've held on to reading this.**

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LEP officer Captain Holly Short sat at her desk staring mournfully at the two foot high stack of paper work that now rested there. It just didn't seem right to have a stack of paperwork more than half as tall as you were.

At three feet tall, Captain Holly Short was slightly smaller than average which, in the fairy world, was saying something especially when you're dealing with a two foot stack of paperwork.

Captain Short knew that she would regret procrastinating eventually, and it seemed that today was the day. Instead of being off on patrol, like she would have preferred, she was stuck behind her desk with a two foot stack of paper work and absolutely no motivation to do anything rather than sit glumly staring at the stack of papers.

It wasn't that Holly was lazy or anything, far from it. She thrived in her work environment, and the more action she got the better she worked, but as of late things at LEP HQ had been rather quiet, aside from a string of robberies that turned out to be nothing more than a group of kids stupid idea for a prank She almost wished that there would be some kind of goblin uprising or something, but no such luck, or no such bad luck depending on the way she looked at it.

She sighed and threw her feet up on her desk still staring at the stack of paperwork wondering if there was any way that she would be able to push it off on one of the younger officers. She doubted it, but maybe she could at least try.

Just then the com button on her desk blinked, and she nonchalantly pressed it with her heel not even bothering to use her hands. "Captain Holly Short." She sighed wondering if there was another foot stack of paperwork waiting for her somewhere.

"Holly, it's me Foaly. I need you down in my office right now. It's urgent."

"On my way." She stated enthusiastically jumping up from her desk all too happy be away from her pile of paperwork.

She rushed from the room and booked it towards Foaly'soffice practically praying that he would have something good for her.

The door slid open right before she reached it, and she noted that the glass windows of Foaly's office had been darkened. He was obviously working with something he didn't want any of the underlings to see. She walked into the room stopping as the door shut behind her.

Foaly turned to face her, and her eyes were immediately drawn to his head where, it seemed, he had made a new addition to his usual tin foil hat. That addition was… more tinfoil.

"New hat, Foaly?" She said grinning slightly to herself

He crossed his arms pawing the ground with one hoof. "Laugh all you want Holly short, but I believe that certain, undisclosed, human surveillance agencies are attempting to bolster mind control methods, and could even be listening in on us right now."

Holly widened her eyes sarcastically and leaned in. "Oh no… could it be the EIE."

Foaly raised an eyebrow. "The EIE, who are the EIE; how could I have not known about them. Tell me everything you know Holly. Who are they?"

Holly smirked. "Everyone in Earshot."

Foaly's expression darkened. "Ha, ha, ha, Very funny, Holly, but when your mind has been taken over and you become a mindless robot I'll be the one laughing."

Holly rolled her eyes again happy to be seeing Foaly again. He had been very busy lately and that hadn't given them much time to talk. "So, what did you call me in here for?"

Foaly shuffled a little self-consciously from side to side. "Well, um, there's this… thing… I've been working on and, well I… um."

"Need-someone-to-test-it." Holly said excitement for the prospect of something to do overwhelming her.

Foaly's expression brightened. "Well yes, actually; the only problem is, it would mean taking an unauthorized flight above ground in the middle of the day."

Holly shrugged. "And the problem is… what?"

"Good, I was hoping you'd see it my way." He said cheerfully turning around and heading over to a tinted glass cabinet. "I've been working on it for ages, and I believe it is one of the most advanced pieces of field tech that I have ever come up with, to say the least."

Reaching forward he pressed his hand to the front of the glass. A blue strip of light flew down the glass. "Foaly is fantastic." He said and the glass screen slid open to reveal the most amazing field suit holly had ever seen.

It was standard green in color like most LEP suits were, but it looked to be light weight and form fitting unlike many of the bulkier LEP uniforms.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but the suit has 100% radiation protection as well as heat resistance to three times that of the normal LEP suit. It has its own cloaking system and will work in daylight underwater and in extreme temperatures. It has underwater capabilities, and the belt can adjust buoyancy levels. The helmet can filter clean pure oxygen from water and even the most polluted of environments. The visor works on a heads-up display as do most helmets, you think it, it does it. It can increase your speed and power by 85%. The gloves are wired for texture so you can better feel what is underneath your hand. I've also given them climbing capabilities using powerful suction from the palms, but my favorite part, is this…" Just then the suit swiveled so its back was facing them and twin wings sprouted from the back. "Their official name is Phoenix type 1, and they run on a power cell smaller than a human battery, they can fold up into the back of the suit, but are at least 50% more powerful than the latest humming bird class… so, what do you think?"

He turned around only to see Holly was shaking her head exasperatedly.

"What?" he asked, looking so confused it was almost comical

"PHOENIX, you couldn't have started off with sparrow or falcon, you had to go for the mythical, most powerful bird ever in existence."

Foaly shrugged. "It sounded cool."

"It'll sound cool, until 100 years from now when they are completely obsolete and you have just made the biggest marketing mistake of your life."

Foaly threw up his hands. "Alright, alright I'll downgrade it to hawk class, but only for you."

"That's better, so you want me to test it… well, where do you want me to go?"

Foaly shrugged before smiling slyly. "If anyone asks tell them you were keeping an eye on Artemis Fowl."

Holly crossed her arms. "You just want to show off to him don't you?"

He mirrored her movement. "Well I don't see you complaining, and if you are, I can give the job to someone else."

"No, no I'll take it."

"I knew you would."

Two hours later, after a particularly violent pod ride and a scuffle with above ground security that involved her having to call LEP business on multiple occasions, she was finally out in open air. Foaly had been right about the suit quality. It was breathable and comfortable and the wigs were whisper quiet as well as powerful and maneuverable.

She took a few moments to spread out her arms and flip some turns closing her eyes. Flying was one of her favorite things.

"She flies like a dream, doesn't she?"

"Better." Holly said breathlessly turning a few more flips. "Now let's see what these things can really do."

It took her just a little over half the time that it would have taken her on a standard pair of LEP issued wings. She was hovering about 200 feet above Fowl Manor when a sly smile spread across her face.

"Now Holly, I know what you're thinking, but the wings capabilities haven't been tested under extreme G-for-"

Holly didn't hear his next words as she pulled into a sharp dive speeding up so fast that her stomach dropped into her feet. For a moment, there was a point at which the thought she would surly rocket into the ground and kill herself, but at the last second she pulled up skimming through the air just three feet above the ground.

"Why do I even bother?" Foaly stated dryly

"I don't know, why do you?" she asked as she dropped the last three feet to the ground and headed forwards towards the door. Since her existence was now coming knowledge among the Fowl household she thought it best to knock instead of sneaking in uninvited. After ringing the doorbell she wasn't surprised to see Angeline Fowl open the door.

"Good morning, Angeline." Holly said pleasantly

"Well good morning to you Holly. You must be looking for Artemis… He's… somewhere around here. Why don't you come in?" She said

Holly nodded and stepped over the threshold of the house glad that she had been given a proper invite. It could get nasty otherwise.

Angeline informed her that Artemis wasn't in his usual haunts so that would mean he was probably with Butler. Where that was, she had no idea and left it up to Holly to find them. It didn't take her that long when she heard Butler's voice issuing from down a hallway.

"There you go, that's it… Juliet, try just a little harder."

Then after that she became aware of the sound of shuffling feet and what sounded like violent contact.

She turned the corner and came upon an interesting scene. Juliet and another person stood in the middle of the large room squaring off against each other. Occasionally one of them would make a move that the other would counter or miss.

"NOW Juliet."

She reacted quickly; lunging forward to catch the boy's arms, then faster than Holly would have thought possible the girl flipped herself over her attackers back releasing him momentarily before putting him in a full-nelson. Her opponent struggled momentarily with all his might, and Juliet was forced to tighten her hold.

"Come on give it up." She shouted. "You can't get out of this one."

"Or can't I." He called before violently ramming his heel into the top of her foot.

Juliet yelped and loosened her hold just enough for her opponent to drop freeing his arms. He rolled to the side and pulled himself into a crouch.

Juliet made no move to come at his again, but began rubbing her injured foot. "That was a cheap shot." She complained, but Butler, who had been standing against the wall, clapped his hands together grinning.

"That was brilliant improvisation, Artemis."

Holly's mouth fell open not exactly sure that she had just heard that. That boy couldn't be Artemis… he was to… agile.

Just then the boy turned and she came face to face with, the one blue one hazel, eyes of Artemis Fowl. He smiled slightly. "Hello Holly… And before you reply it would probably be best for all of us if you closed your mouth BEFORE you unhinge your jaw."

"But…h-how… what." She stammered looking back and forth from him to Butler.

Artemis's mouth twitched in amusement. "I suppose you're wondering, who am I, and where did I stash the real Artemis…? Yes, I thought as much. The answer to that question is simple. I'm standing right in front of you, and no, this isn't a dream."

Holly looked over to Butler, who was now standing behind Artemis with a smug look on his face.

"Butler…wa-"

"I know, I almost didn't believe it myself, but our teenage genius wised up."

Artemis rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Were you attempting to make that sentence ironic or did it just come out that way?"

Butler shrugged. "So we haven't seen you in a while Holly… where have you been?"

"Er… nowhere important… so when did this happen?" she asked finally regaining her composure.

Artemis shrugged. "I received a violent wakeup call recently, and decided that I didn't desire to be a hindrance any longer."

"But what about all of your other plans… this must get in the way." She said still not believing that Artemis would give up on crime for this.

Artemis shook his head. "I don't train all day… Here, I will show you, and I am sure Foaly will be watching, so I suppose he wants to see."

Following Artemis, Holly found herself upstairs in Artemis's "office" watching as he began powering up the computers. "I believe it is safe to say that my latest software update could put even Foaly's systems to shame."

Inside her helmet the speakers crackled. "I'd like to see this." Foaly muttered

Artemis had his computers powered up in the next few seconds, and began a detailed explanation about the operating system that had Holly's head reeling within the first two words; much was the same for Butler who was standing stoically in a corner.

"Hmmm... I never thought of that." Foaly admitted grudgingly then "wait a second… Holly, put me on speaker."

Holly shrugged and did what she was told.

"Artemis, I have a problem."

Artemis turned "What is-"

Just then Artemis's computer screen blacked out for a moment and words began spilling across the screen.

"Let me guess," Said Artemis, "your systems suddenly went down now there are words scrolling across the screen.'

There was momentary silence on the end of the com channel and then, "Well actually, yes."

"I believe, we are having the same problem."

Fear what you cannot see.

Butler walked over and surveyed the cryptic message. "Now what is that supposed to mean?"

* * *

**Once more, thanks for reading, and comments are appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters.**

**This is a thanks to all the readers who have trotted this far.**

* * *

The group of them stood there in a shocked silence as the message kept repeating itself across the screen.

"Foaly, I'm going to try and track it. Are you with me?" Artemis said pulling out a chair.

"Right behind you, Artemis." Replied the centaur

Artemis fingers flew across the keyboard and the message disappeared from that particular monitor as random strings of code, Holly couldn't understand, popped up. Artemis seemed to know what he was doing though, so she didn't complain.

"Almost got it." Murmured Artemis, then suddenly the words disappeared from the rest of the monitors, and the speakers around the room crackled.

"Good, good. I'm almost impressed; keep it up and you might actually interest me… here's your next clue… part of me walks on four while part of me should walk on two… until next time Foaly, and Artemis Fowl."

Then just as fast as it had come, the screens flickered back to normal as if nothing had happened. Artemis sat there a little nonplussed as the voice died away into nothing.

They sat there in silence for a moment. Artemis spoke first. "Whoever it, he's obviously a genius."

Holly crossed her arms tapping a foot. "How can you be sure of that?"

Artemis raised his hands in the air as if it was obvious. "Think, Holly, who else could have hacked both Foaly and I at the same time? And plus, didn't you hear him, 'keep it up and you might actually interest me.'"

Holly and Butler started at him blankly.

Artemis sighed exasperated. "Can't you see? This is all a game. He's board and now he's toying with us, and he's toying with us because he knows we are the only ones who he thinks can play the game."

"Artemis is right." Stated Foaly, "But what about his so called clues, if this is a game than that means he wants us to solve them."

Artemis nodded grinning at the idea of a puzzle. "Well, the first one was obvious."

Butler looked over at him confused. "It seemed a little cryptic and vague, if you ask me."

Artemis shook his head. "No, it was actually quite simple. Men fear what they cannot see, and the only way men can't see something is if it's hidden, but if you find it than you can see it, so he can't be talking about something hidden. So where is itthat people can't see?"

Butler shrugged. "The dark."

"Exactly, he's talking about the dark. Little children often fear the dark, not because of the dark itself, but because they cannot see what is in it. That means somewhere dark." Artemis spun around in his chair looking up at the ceiling thinking fingers pressed thoughtfully together.

"But it would have to be dark all the time, otherwise it could be seen sometimes so, therefore, could only be feared occasionally." Added Foaly

Artemis nodded. "So it can't be anywhere near sunlight."

Foaly, "So it would have to be-"

"UNDERGROUND!" Both of them shouted making Holly jump.

"Foaly."

"Yes, Artemis."

"We'll be there in three hours. I have a feeling that our times of misadventure aren't over yet." Artemis said grinning like a kid at Christmas.

"I think you may just be right." Stated Foaly

Artemis turned to Butler and Juliet who were now standing in the corner. "Are you coming?"

Butler nodded stoically.

Juliet jumped in the air grinning. "Looks like I got more than I bargained for coming back."

Artemis nodded. "Everyone get your field gear."

Butler nodded and hurried out of the door as did Juliet. Artemis was following but Holly stopped him. "Since when did you have field gear?"

Artemis shrugged. "Since last week."

He disappeared out of the door.

Minutes later Holly was waiting in the hallway as Butler appeared down the hall. He was wearing all black holding a helmet under one arm. His handgun was strapped to his hip, as was usual. He had some other gear Holly wasn't able to identify, but she had to admit, he looked impressive, well, more impressive than usual which, in Butler's case, was saying something.

Juliet appeared not minutes later wearing much the same thing, but looking just a pretty as usual.

Then Artemis came next. He came down the hall tapping on a touch screen of a small device not paying attention to any of them. As with the others he was wearing all black, but his was far more complex than the other's.

He looked to be wearing combat boots laced tightly up to his mid calf. The belt he wore had multiple gadgets handing from it and a leg holster held, what Holly recognized, as a reconstructed LEP energy pistol. The black material of the pants were sturdy and not to loose, so as not to snag on anything, but not too tight. The black long- sleeved shirt was form fitting reminiscent of a wet suit, but what looked to be a bullet proof vest was strapped over his chest. He was wearing black gloves that seemed to have the capabilities to interact with the touch screen.

Artemis stopped in front of Holly. "What do you think? I just finished it last week."

"I'm thinking… why would you need a bullet proof vest?"

"It's an ENERGY proof vest actually. I'd rather not give anyone the capabilities to shoot me again." He eyed Holly sternly, and she felt her face go red.

* * *

It was only one hour later that they stood in at the shuttle port, Butler having to stoop owing to the ceiling which was at least two inches shorter than he was. Admittedly, the appearance of three humans had caused quite a panic.

"Foaly… where is that shuttle. It's getting a bit hectic up here." Said Holly nervously as a group of elves rushed past screaming.

"Sorry, Holly. I'm having a little bit of trouble with the Brass. You know the higher-ups; they don't like it when I intervene… just give me a second."

Artemis stood only a few feet away watching the commotion with a calm gaze. He didn't seem too worried, but then again he knew that once they left everything would go back to normal. He turned his head to the left surveying the area, but got something more than he bargained for… A hover cart was barreling towards them from down the tunnel knocking people aside and gaining speed as it went. It seemed to Artemis as if the driver had passed out… but that wasn't what scared him. It was the fact that he was heading straight for Holly.

He turned. "HOLLY."

She spun around just in time to see the cart just a few yards away, and then something tackled her from the side knocking her out of the way.

Artemis acting at the last second had thrown himself at Holly pushing her out of the way just in time rolling to avoid a collision himself. Then turning he unclipped a looping of black rope from around his belt with a grappling hook affixed to the end. He spun the rope and tossed it towards the retreating vehicle. It caught and he dug his heels in puling on the rope.

The vehicle jolted to a stop, just as Holly was sitting up.

Artemis stared at his hands as if they had just done something he hadn't told them to.

"What in the name of Tinkerbelle's saggy… was that?" Holly said breathlessly

Artemis stared on just as confused as she was. "I'm not really sure… but I think I just saved your life."

"I suppose I should be thanking you then." She said dusting herself off.

"If you feel it's necessary, I suppose."

Butler was the next person to speak. "What did I tell you, Artemis? Brains and physical ability… the most deadly combination in the world."

"I never thought I'd hear Artemis and physical ability in the same sentence." Said Holly "Accept if they were in a sentence like: Artemis has no physical ability."

"Ha, ha you're a riot." Artemis grumbled. "I'd love to continue this conversation, but I think our ride is here."

* * *

Nothing much had changed since the last time Artemis was at LEP headquarters accept a bit of new tech here and there; it was the same as usual.

Foaly turned as they walked into his office, and couldn't help but stare at the three humans. "Someone got dressed up for the occasion." He stated dryly

Artemis grinned. "Don't get too jealous, Foaly."

"Jealous… of you, please, don't make me laugh."

Holly sighed putting her hands on hips. "Um, if you two didn't realize, we kind of have a problem on our hands."

Foaly and Artemis quickly became serious. "So, what do you think he meant by the next clue?" asked Artemis

Foaly crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm not really sure yet."

Artemis nodded. "He can't be human, obviously."

"Unless he has four legs." Commented Foaly, "Which I doubt."

"Part of me walks on four while part of me should walk on two." Artemis mused.

Both Foaly and Artemis stood staring at each other for a moment, but then they all jumped as Artemis seemed to realize something. "Of course, how couldn't I have gotten this earlier… it's been standing right in front of me this entire time."

Foaly glowered at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean it has, literally, been standing in front of us the entire time."

Foaly was obviously getting annoyed at being in the dark. "Well go on and tell us Artemis. You haven't got all millennium"

"Look in a mirror Foaly… I know it may be unpleasant, but that should answer your question." He said trying to keep a straight face.

"So we're talking about centaurs." Said Holly finally understanding what Artemis was saying.

"Well he says he has four legs, and that part of him should be walking on two; a man's torso and a horse body."

Just as he said that the room again went dark and static buzzed from the speakers. "Very good… you have officially impressed me. Follow my next coordinates if you want the rest of the puzzle… I'll be watching."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters **

**A personal thank you to all those people who posted comments. You have been a great help. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

* * *

"Artemis and I should stay here doing surveillance while the rest of you do the field work." Said Foaly

There was a moment of silence, and he turned to see Artemis glowering at him with an offended expression.

"What?" Foaly asked confused

Artemis crossed his arms. "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that when YOU do the field work, the rest of them end up getting almost KILLED because they were looking after you, I'm sorry Artemis, but it's the truth."

Artemis curled his hands into fists, but attempted to keep his composure… the problem with having physical abilities was that they tended to make you more violent. "I can hold my own thank you very much Foaly, and I believe it was I running this mission, and not you. I can decide if I go or not."

Foaly snorted. "Even I could do field work better than you."

Artemis took a step forward. "Do you want to make that a bet?"

Foaly's eyes narrowed. "Why not, and if I win you have to give me back all the stuff you STOLE from my blueprints."

Artemis crossed his arms again. "And if I triumph you have to award me more."

"Deal."

Holly sighed and leaned back against the wall glancing over at Juliet. She waved a hand in front of her face as if trying to ward off a bad smell. "The testosterone in here is getting a bit thick; wouldn't you agree."

Juliet nodded. "I might have to step outside in a few minutes before I choke."

Artemis turned sharply on his heels and walked towards the door. "I give you thirty minutes to get ready otherwise, I'm leaving you here."

Foaly turned away as well. "We'll see who deserves to be left here when we're done."

Thirty minutes later the group of them stood huddled in a circle. Foaly was holding a small computer in his left hand while typing with the right. "This is odd."

"What's odd?" asked Holly

"These coordinates have the location somewhere in the southern Dark Region… but why would he have it there… it makes no sense."

"He's keeping with his theme. People fear what they cannot see. Limited visibility gives him the upper hand, and plus, I doubt many people go down there, so that means there will be less unwanted visitors interfering with his game." Artemis said hand reaching down to brush past the grip of the energy pistol.

Holly eyed the movement noting the habit Artemis had evidently picked up from Butler who, even now, had his hand floating just inches from the grip of his Sig Sauer.

But then something that Foaly had said stopped Holly's musing dead in its tracks. "Did you say the coordinates were from the Dark Region?"

Foaly didn't look up. "Yes, why?"

Holly didn't answer immediately, but tried to remember where she had heard that just recently… no, she had read it somewhere. Yes, she had pulled a file from her mountain of paperwork, and it had said something about an LEP operation underway at that very moment. Holly wasn't sure what id had had to do with the dark region. She tried her best to remember, but couldn't think of anything.

Artemis had his head tilted slightly to the right looking at her like a curious dog. "Something wrong Holly?"

She reached her hands up and rubbed her temples. "I think I read something about an LEP operation in that area, but I can't remember…"

Foaly looked up at her with a confused expression. "I haven't heard anything about a dark region operation, and I know about EVERY operation that the LEP puts on."

Holly shook her head. "Never mind, I'm sure your right." But even as she said it, the feeling that she was missing something kept a persistent pressure in the back of her mind.

Butler also looked a little apprehensive. His soldier's sense was tingling. He knew that something was wrong. His instincts hadn't let him down as of yet. He thought about speaking up and telling the others that he thought it was a bad idea, but Arrtemisdidn't seem to have any misgivings, and Butler would trust the boy with his life… he just wondered if this contest with Foalywas clouding his judgment.

An operation by the LEP on paperwork that Foaly hadn't heard about, and now they were having some crazy telling them to solve his puzzle. It didn't exactly seem like the best idea to Butler. He would have preferred to do a little recon before going in guns blazing, but both Artemis and Foaly had agreed that going in right now was just fine… it had to be the right course of action, didn't it?

The dark regions were, as the name hinted, dark. It was a system of old abandoned caves evacuated on the grounds of the tunnel structure was too unstable. The reason for this was the fact that it hadn't been constructed by dwarves, so therefore were pronounced structurally unsound. This may have helped the general fairy population, but it had also given criminals the perfect spot to disappear. LEP operations had busted hundreds of goblin uprisings in the dark region. So many in fact the LEP had sentries permanently stationed in the dark zones, which was not a job Holly would ever envy.

In an attempt to show that he was not being a hindrance, Artemis had taken point with Holly just behind him Juliet behind her Foaly trailing just a few feet back with Butler brining up the rear.

"Stop here." Foaly said, the screen of his computer casting a pale blue light across his face and shoulders.

Artemis stopped and looked around. "Well?"

"Well either the coordinates are off, or we're going to have to walk through that rock wall to get there." Foaly said pointing off to their left.

Artemis turned. He reached out a hand and touched the wall feeling along like a blind man, but then stopped. He adjusted his head lamp and then looked up. Aside from the fact that these were tunnels, they did have remarkably high ceilings stretching at least four stories up into the air. On the third story up Artemis noted the dark shadow in the rock where the wall stopped and flattened out leading to another cavern.

"Butler, do you think you could get a grappling hook up there?" Artemis said pointing upwards.

Butler took a step back looking up towards the ceiling. He reached down to his belt and felt for the grappling hook. Taking the rope he eyed the crevice and then began spinning the hook at his side until it gained momentum. With an almost inaudible grunt, he hauled the hook upwards. It sailed through the air for a moment before disappearing into the dark crevice. Problem is, Butler had to let go of the rope at the last second owing to the length was at least five feet above Butler's head.

The rope dangled there, and they all stared up at it at a loss.

"Brilliant Idea, just brilliant, now how are we going to get up?" Foaly griped

Artemis stood there for a moment staring intently upwards, Butler go stand under the rope and just a few feet in front of it."

Butler did as he was told.

"Now cup your hands at about waist height… like that."

Juliet stared at Artemis as he backed up a few paces. "What are you doing?"

"If Butler tosses me, I'm sure I can reach the rope. When I get up there I'm sure that I can secure it better closer to the edge so we have more room." Artemis turned back to Butler and took a few steadying breaths

Juliet shuffle her feet uncertainly. "Why can't we just have Holly fly up there?"

"Because Foaly overlooked something, the wings are powered by solar or lunar rays and the power cell is too small to store enough energy. Holly wouldn't get ten feet before crashing to the ground."

"Well then maybe I should do it. Even if you do reach the rope, you'll have to climb up."

Foaly nodded. "She's right Artemis. You might not be able to pull yourself up that far."

Artemis glowered at him. "I'll be just fine, besides I am the lightest. If that rope isn't secure enough it might not be able to hold anyone else's weight."

Juliet put her hands on hips. "What is THAT supposed to mean."

Artemis sighed. "It just has to be me. Holly may be lighter and you may be stronger, Juliet, but I have the brains." He turned away from the others. "Ready, Butler."

Butler inclined his head. "Ready, Artemis."

The boy hopped once or twice on the spot to get his blood flowing, and then took a running step towards Butler. Both Holly and Foaly were surprised at the speed he was able to achieve in such a short distance. Foaly practically fell over when Artemis's foot made a solid connection with Butler's hands.

He went sailing into the air, and was just able to catch the tail end of the rope.

Foaly laughed. "We have no time for hanging around, Artemis."

Artemis turned to Foaly, but didn't say anything. He hung there for a few more seconds, and then to Foaly's surprise, the boy curled his feet around the rope and began quicklyinchworming his way upwards. Hand over hand he went and reached the top in a little under two minutes. The rope disappeared as Artemis pulled it up into the darkness, but a few minutes later it came back down. There was enough rope left, that it was skimming the floor.

Holly scaled the rope quicker than Artemis had then Juliet followed. Butler made it up without even using his feet, and that left Foaly standing on the floor arms crossed "Hello, what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can haul half a horse up that danged rope."

Artemis sighed from somewhere above him. "You're only slowing us down."

Foaly crossed his arms. "Alright, alright; I get it. Now just hurry up, and figure something out."

"Hold your horses pony boy." Juliet called. Holly snorted.

Tie the rope around your middle and we'll haul you up." Called Butler

The next few minutes weren't particularly thrilling for anyone, but at least Foaly got up alright aside from a few rope-burns.

Artemis motioned them all forward leading the way further back into the crevice. At first it seemed as if there was nothing there, but then as they came around a corner, their headlamps fell on a large box sitting in the middle of the room. Deep shadows filled the corners of the room, but none of them really noticed, their attention focused on the box as it was.

All accept for Butler who stood at the back of the room. The tingling at the base of his spine had just intensified tenfold to a point at which he thought his head was going to rattle off, something was definitely wrong, and he took a few steps into the room opening his mouth to warn the others.

Artemis, meanwhile, took a few steps forward as the others filed in behind him. He reached forward with his left hand, but his hand never made it to the box.

Abruptly, large floodlights flashed on around them, and the room was suddenly filed with yelling voices.

"Get on the ground."

"Do not move."

"I SAID GET ON THE GROUND!"

"Get your hands in the air."

"D'Arvit." Holly hissed violently as she raised her hands in the air sinking to her knees.

"See commander, I told you that there was a leak in LEP security… what did I tell you." Came a voice from behind the floodlights.

"I suppose you were right." Replied another voice

The owner of the voice took a few steps forward into the light. The elf, that the voice had belonged to, stood there in shock staring at Holly with eyes wide. "Holly?" he said voice so full of surprise and hurt Holly could already feel shame building up inside her.

"Commander, I promise, this isn't what it looks like." She protested

Commander Trouble Kelp shook his head in disbelief. His eyes roved around the rest of the group falling on Foaly. "No, no… this can't be right… How could you Foaly?"

"Trouble, this isn't what you think it is-" But Trouble had already held up a hand to cut him off.

His eyes fell on Artemis. "I expected something like this from him," he turned to Holly, "But you and Foaly."

"See, I told you commander. The LEP has a leek, and it seems as if we have caught them." Said the earlier figure as he stepped into the light; he was a gnome oddly taller and thinner than usual, and he looked oddly familiar.

"I told you I could redeem my family name. I'm not my uncle sir."

Trouble nodded still evidently in shock. "You did well EliSool, I'll make sure to clear your name when we get back to HQ."

Sool… Holly knew that name, and if she was correct that meant that this little creep was the nephew of the dishonored commander Ark Sool.

"Someone, detain them." Called Trouble turning his back to them; just as he did the tall gnome grinned at holly, and held up a hand. Printed on a card there, read the words.

And so the game begins

I hope you enjoy the intro.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters.**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School has me drowning in homework, and I just barely got free time.**

**hope you like it.**

* * *

Artemis's mind was racing. It had all happened so fast, things were getting hard to process. The game had already begun, and it seemed as if they were already being outmatched. Artemis didn't like being outmatched.

From what he could tell their enemy had planned this out meticulously, Artemis was grudgingly impressed, though annoyed in the extreme. And that Gnome Eli Sool; he was obviously the nephew of Ark Sool. If anything there was an obviously family resemblance, if not in looks than in employment. Lying and manipulation seemed to be a family trait.

There enemy had cleverly manipulated the LEP into thinking that there was a leak in security and set up a trap. Their enemy had then cleverly led them straight into the trap that had been set for the supposed leak.

This was bad news for all of them, most of all Holly andFoaly. This made them look like traitors, and what was even worse; they had brought humans along with them. Artemis turned his head from side to side attempting to take in as much of the scene as he could before acting. He had to get them out of here, no matter what it took. Trouble would never believe them if they were captured, but then again, if they escaped they would be marked as fugitives, and there would be no doubt as to their guilt.

His decision was quick and final. They would be no use to anyone behind bars, and after this they would be sure to wipe his memory. Artemis couldn't let that happen. He scanned the room. Not including himself or any of his party as well as Sool and Trouble there were at least ten other fairies positioned around the room. Each of them was holding an energy rifle pointed at their little group. Artemis found himself wishing Foaly hadn't come along. This would have been so much easier if they didn't have to lug half a horse around with them. Butler would have to take charge on that account, he was the strongest. Otherwise, he wasn't worried about anyone else. He was sure that Holly, Juliet, and Butler could take care of themselves.

The fairies were already beginning to move in. Artemis was almost insulted; they only had one fairy coming towards him and at least two going towards Holly. One was making its way towards Foaly which mended his pride just a little. They obviously didn't think that Foaly was much to worry about. Butler was a different story. He had four fairies, including Trouble himself, converging on him. Juliet had three coming towards her. While Sool stood off to the side.

Artemis locked gazes with Butler, Juliet, and Holly, all of whom seemed to get his message. Holly didn't look too thrilled about what she was going to have to do, but Artemis was positive that she knew what was at stake. Artemis turned his head to face his attacker, only to become more annoyed when he realized just who it was. Grub Kelp, Trouble's inept little brother. Did they really thing that he was that pathetic?

Once Grub was within reach, Artemis reacted. From his knees he aimed a kick upwards connecting sharply with the barrel of the energy rifle. Grub let off a high pitched squeal as Artemis rolled to the side reaching out a hand to catch the gun. Rolling over onto his back he turned the barrel of the gun on Grub and pulled the trigger. Grub fell backwards stunned. Artemis rolled to the side just as Butler reacted. He launched himself from his kneeling position, and practically flew over Trouble's head. He landed in a roll bulling over the Fairy who was going towards Foaly.

Holly reacted seconds later. She dropped to the ground just as two blasts of energy shot from the two guns pointed at her chest. Both of the fairies fell to the floor as their opposites charge hit them square in the chest. Holly leaped to her feet and tackled one of Juliet's attackers.

A kick from Juliet scent her other two attackers flying backwards, as a kick to one's sternum scent him careening backwards into his partner. Only four active shooters stood standing. Trouble was the fastest to react, and he dodged behind a rock as Artemis scent a burst of quick fire shots in his direction. One of the fairies went down stunned, as the other two scrambled for cover.

In the confusion Foaly danced backwards, and inadvertently kicked one of the remaining attackers.

Holly now had her hands on an energy rifle and was currently engaged in a firefight with the second remaining Fairy. Artemis was almost hit at one point and had to duck and roll to the side to avoid the shot.

The only problem with that was it brought him right to the side of Trouble's cover. Trouble wasted no time in reacting and brought his energy rifle up towards Artemis's head. In a desperate attempt to avoid getting hit, Artemis rolled, but instead of rolling away, he rolled towards Trouble.

Trouble hadn't been expecting that move, and he went down the rifle knocked from his hands, but Trouble had always been good at his job, and he wasted no time in pulling out his secondary weapon. An energy pistol holstered at his hip. Artemis was one his knees struggling to get his bearings. Trouble pointed the gun at Artemis finger curling around the trigger.

To bad Artemis had regained his bearings. He saw the gun pointed at his head and immediately he heard Butler's voice echo through his head, a memory from only a few months ago. If someone is pointing a gun at your head, and if they are in range, the only way you will be safe is if you disarm it. Step one grab the barrel; you have to do this quickly so they won't have time to react.

Artemis's hand flew upwards faster than the eye could blink and wrapped itself around the barrel.

Step two, divert the barrel away from yourself and push towards them.

Artemis did, and found himself almost face to face with Trouble.

Step three, if they are bigger and stronger than you, punch them in the face. If they are not you can just disarm them; remember always go from under the gun.

With his free hand he reached down, and grabbing the back of the gun, he jerked upwards. There was a loud snap as Trouble's trigger finger broke violently, but Artemis wasn't worried. He kicked out with one foot connecting with Trouble's chest. Blue sparks were already beginning to run over the elf's body as he fell backwards.

Artemis hauled himself to his feet to find that the others were already heading for the exit. A few of the fairies were already beginning to stir. One of them was already reaching for his weapon. Artemis raced forward just in time to see Butler and Holly disappear over the edge of the small cliff. Artemis heard the discharge of an energy gun behind him, and before he knew what happened, he was violently thrown off his feet.

He found himself falling head over heels having been pitched off the cliff.

Everything in his vision seemed to slow down, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the rope dangling only a few feet away. He reached out, and his hand wrapped around the rope. His arm was jerked painfully and a yelp was wrenched from his throat as a burst of pain shot through his shoulder, but he kept a tight hold of the rope. His other hand reached up just as a fairy made the unwise mistake of poking his head out over the cliff.

To bad for them Artemis had kept hold of that energy pistol.

Artemis gritted his teeth as the pain in his arm increased, and he felt his grip slip. He gasped as the rope slipped out of his hands, but then a pair of strong hands caught him around the middle.

"Artemis, are you alright?"

"Run." Artemis called ignoring the question. He could hear more energy pulses flying over their heads, and with a few staggering steps, he took off towards the darkness of the tunnels.

Artemis had no idea how long he had been running, all he knew was that it was dark, and he was breathing heavily, but he could no longer hear any sound of pursuit. He turned his back to the wall gasping, and now that his heart was beginning to slow down he realized just how much his arm hurt.

With every beat of his heart he felt a pulse of pain running through his shoulder. When he tried to move his arm, there was no response.

"Is everyone ok?" Called Butler from in the darkness

"Fine." Called Holly and Juliet

"Not fine." Gasped Foaly from the black

"Artemis?"

"Just fine, Butler." Artemis tried to say, but the last word came out a bit strangled through the pain.

"Artemis." A flashlight flicked on, and he had to squint through the light. "Artemis, what happened?" Butler said worry coating every inch of the words he spoke.

"Nothing." But the words were weak and cracked slightly.

"Your arm." Butler reached forward, and Artemis couldn't stifle a moan as pain shot up his arm.

"It's dislocated." Said Butler with a growl

Holly took a step forward into the light to examine the arm. "I can heal it, but you'll have to put it back in its socket first or else it will grow back wrong."

Artemis found himself on his knees trying to breathe through the pain. "No, I'll be fine; don't… waste… your magic." He gasped trying not to show the pain.

Butler crouched down next to him and took his arm. Artemis hissed in pain throwing his head back eyes closed. "Juliet, help me."

Juliet took a step forward, and knelt down next to Artemis. "Hold him still. Holly, you know what to do."

Juliet Rapped her arms around his chest keeping him still in her iron grip. "Don't worry, Artemis, it'll be quick."

"No, Holly has to keep her magic." Artemis protested,trying to find a rational reason to stay away from the pain he knew was sure to come soon.

"On the count of three."

"No-"

"One-"

A burst of white hot pain shot up his arm and through is body as Butler jerked his arm violently. Bone grinded against bone as the arm popped back into its socket. Red filled his vision, and he screamed through gritted teeth. He tried jerking away from the pain, but Juliet kept him still.

Then blue sparks shot across his vision, and before he knew it the pain had gone, and he was kneeling on the ground breathing heavily. He took a slow deep breath and turned to Holly. "I suppose I owe you again."

He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders.

"That was scary." Juliet breathed off to his left.

Artemis nodded. "I can agree with you there… Now to the business at hand, we're fugitives now, and they'll have all exits out of here blocked… He wanted this to happen. He wanted to alienate us from all assets and give us more problems to deal with than just him… He put himself on high ground. He has full control, and we know less about him than he does about us, but he wouldn't want to chase us away… I think he wanted us to come here."

"He wanted us trapped in the dark." Grumbled Foaly

"Exactly… wherever he is… he's waiting for us somewhere down here."


End file.
